Advanced rock-climbing lessons banned after pupil’s 4m fall

An Essex high school has been prosecuted for safety failings after a 14-year-old boy fell more than four metres from a climbing wall.

PE classes in an advanced rock-climbing technique, known as lead climbing, were taught for 18 months without the knowledge of senior management. Lessons were conducted by three teachers, but none had formal training in how to teach or supervise the activity, which involves the climber clipping on to protection points in place up the climbing wall to support themselves.

The teenager was one of four pupils selected to try their first-ever lead climb, during a PE lesson on 17 October last year.

He managed to clip on to three points as he ascended the climbing wall, but incorrectly clipped on to the fourth point.

A fellow pupil, similarly inexperienced, had been told to ‘belay’ the rope for the boy, keeping it taut, or feeding more as necessary. Not realising the climber’s error, the instructor told him to let go of the climbing wall, which he did.

However, instead of being supported by the belay technique, he fell, unrestrained, more than four metres and hit the safety mat on the floor. The pupil, now 15, suffered a fractured heel bone, which was later pinned and plated.

The HSE investigated the incident and found that, prior to the lesson, none of the four pupils was aware of what lead climbing entailed, or the risks involved. None had been properly trained, or prepared for the more advanced type of climbing that was being attempted.€ﾨ€ﾨInspector Glyn Davies discovered serious gaps in the school’s safety management system in place for lead climbing. A risk assessment and method statement were in place but were deemed inadequate.

Even though the activity had been going on for 18 months, the school’s management admitted that it was completely unaware of this fact and had not approved lessons in the technique. The school banned the activity immediately following the incident and it has not been resumed.

An Improvement Notice was served, instructing the school to review its safety management system in relation to the climbing wall, with the aid of a competent climbing instructor.

Appearing before Colchester magistrates on 7 June, Manningtree High School was fined £9000 and ordered to pay £1641 in prosecution costs after pleading guilty to breaching s3(1) of the HSWA 1974, by failing to adequately protect the pupils against the risk of falls.

The incident occurred following the introduction of the HSE’s Fee for Intervention (FFI) scheme. SHP understands that up to the point of the prosecution, the school had received invoices to the total of about £7500, with another invoice still due.

In mitigation, the school, which had not been subject to any previous HSE enforcement action, said had it known the activity was going on, it would have stopped it immediately. It expressed its sincere regret and cooperated with the investigation.€ﾨ€ﾨ

After the hearing, inspector Davies said: “Inexperienced pupils receiving climbing instruction during PE lessons are completely reliant for their safety on the competence of their climbing instructor and the adequacy of the school’s safety management system.

€ﾨ€ﾨ”Unfortunately, in this case, pupils were let down by Manningtree High School’s failure to ensure the climbing activity was carried out safely and, sadly, this resulted in one pupil getting hurt.”